University of-
Dean
I put another letter on the increasingly unstable pile on the coffee table in front of me. The only thing on my own side so far being one of the many zines I follow.
Republic Water and Ener-
Dean
It's not like I'm expecting much. I was kicked out of the village only just a couple months ago and still keep in touch with everyone through phone calls and the book. I think it will be a while longer before I'm getting forlorn letters begging me back. Any memento from home would be nice though.
Oh what's this?
In-between all the mail I was sorting was a lone pamphlet. I was going to automatically sort it into Dean's pile, thinking it was some kind of internship situation till I caught a better look of the front.
Exorcists needed at Bifrost Terminal
That was enough to break me out of my menontony. I didn't like the prospect of being called an exorcist but this could be my chance.
"Hey Dean, look at this!"
On the other side of the room sat Dean at his desk. A mess of papers, law books and empty coffee mugs. The typical desk of a college student… I think. He's my only exposure outside of books and tv really. He turns his head away from typing on his laptop to face me.
"Yes?"
I hand him the pamphlet. He gives it a puzzled look through its pages before turning back to his laptop with it.
"What are you doing?"
"Reporting it to the council?"
"What?! No!" I snatch it back "This is how I get back home!"
"That doesn't look like it's been approved for Burgeoning?"
"Ah yes. Let me stick to Burgeoning approved exiles. ‘Seek out Val Halmore, His Fulfillment was someone trying to eat at their favorite sandwich shop one… last… time…'"
"If you've actually tried you would see that they're still pretty hard. I went looking for my Fulfulled's wife for over a year."
"That's because you're stupid Dean. Who wouldn't START at their home town."
"IT WASN'T THAT STRAIGHT FORWARD!"
"What would you even know? You're a Basin. I'm trying to become a Guide."
"I don't think you need to have some fancy Fulfillment to become a Guide?"
"Yeah but all the great ones do."
"But here? We have no idea who sent this out or who's there."
"I'll be fine. If it's sketchy I'll just leave."
"What if the spirits are dangerous?"
"I've dealt with dangerous spirits before Dean."
"What if… there's Outsiders."
"Idiot. You need to stop watching so many horror movies and I'm going." I head towards my room and shut the door, closing Dean out.
I give the pamphlet a closer look. The cover shows a snowy mountain top with a strange building off in the distance, the terminal I presume. There wasn't any shipping information on it, like it was just dropped in our mail box. Maybe everyone in our apartment got one?. Or maybe they just reached out to Cultivist Basins? Someone couldn't claim it was for Dean instead at least.
Reading on it said that the leader of this exorcism, someone by the name of Cain Salvatori, had difficulty with his attempt. That his techniques only seemed to make things worse.
It's almost like exorcism is an awful catch-all.
Now he is looking for others to assist him. The next part mentioned the payment, which I forgot immediately after reading.
I would make for a terrible Basin.
Then the date: a little over a week from now. And then a small map of the location: up the mountain of a village by the name Origa, outside Marrow, the capital city of Fulguria from the world of Thraelos.
I put the pamphlet away and start making plans.
—
Train to Independence Station to Marrow to Origa.
I clip closed the bracelet my stand-in was attached to. It was still that cheap dollar store notebook since the last incident. Not the most durable thing in the world but it gets the job done. Once I get the full version I'll make something nicer. Right now it wouldn't be worth the time.
I give the rest of my luggage another once over and start heading out. Dean watched me go with an expression of concern.
I know he has felt responsible for me ever since we got paired together. I can't really blame him. As a Burgeoning I'm considered "less skilled" and behind all the other adults that finished all their rites and became part of The Harvest, but in my case it really isn't needed. I just have to finish the last one: the Fulfilment Ritual. It's not especially complicated, you have to help an Exiled spirit find and solve whatever problem is keeping them here and not in The Outer. Just all the ones I came across so far were so… normal. Wanting to say goodbye to a loved one a final time or living out a moment they never got. The greatest Guides, the truly notable ones, have such great stories of their first Fulfillment. Powerful Monarchs learning they no longer control their legacy, ending hundred year feuds in an afternoon, discovering the answers to long cold mysteries. I can't see why I can't do the same.
Outside of that I'm already Harvest, I didn't even need a mentor for all of it despite the leadership in my village insisting. Even now they claim I don't "get it" somehow. But regardless I was taking too long and got kicked out till I finish this one last ritual.
I don't say anything to him as I catch my train toward Independence.
—
Independence Station itself was immense. Not only did it act as a train station but it also opened directly into an airport on one side and a world warp terminal on the other. The terminal itself looked much like that of a large concrete box with massive boxy metal arches cutting holes into the walls, holes that either showed the staticy darkness of the NotPlace or of a different world entirely.This particular terminal only held 8 Warps, each one surrounded with various screens. The one at the top of each showed the letter of the warp and which destination that it was currently connected to or about to connect to. The ones on the sides showed the expected schedule for each one and a rotating amount of advertising from the different worlds. Every couple minutes they would announce over the intercom which gate has just opened and to what location.
In the center were rows of chairs which made up the waiting area. Despite it being 8 am it was already full. Harpy chicks raced each other in the air while their exasperated mother tried miserably to get them to settle down. A herd of centaurs in sports jerseys were making a ruckus in one corner of the room. A suited Veitixon in heels paced hurriedly while having an important sounding phone call. I've even spotted various spirits waiting with their families. It's quite overwhelming. The only time I've been around this amount of strangers was whenever I've left for conventions, and this time I'm doing it by myself.
You'll never truly be alone.
I adjust my bracelet again, mostly to tell myself my make do charm was still there. I got there 2 hours early, so to avoid the commotion I use my time to browse through the small bookstore for some possible new acquisitions for when I get back. There was supposed to be some sort of cash reward right?
—
"WARP B TO FULGURIA, THRAELOS IN FIVE MINUTES"
I head over to get in line. As I wait in line to pass through I idly watch the changing screens.
"Make the most out of your trip. Rent one of TITAN mechanical helpers to handle any unexpected travel headaches."
"Try TITAN Brand Talon Cream."
"Save your time and money! Use TITAN portals to get you wherever you need!"
Hm?
I make it to the front and hand over my passport and show them my ticket. I walk over and… I'm in Marrow.
The atmosphere here was much different. Instead of opening into another building, the warp opened right into an open plaza, The early afternoon sun in the sky. Unlike the cool, near monochrome colors in Independence Station, here it was vibrant. Colors like that of a Payne as multicolored dragons went about their days. People playing games in front of stalls with others trying to haggle prices. One of the much larger dragons trips and cuts deep marks into the stone below.
I turn to one of the attendants on the other side of the warp and ask where I can get help as a new visitor and I'm pointed toward a stall that seems to have a human working at it. It was covered with many different papers and trinkets with a high counter presumably hiding even more wares as they were almost entirely ducked behind it. I walk over.
"Hey I think I'm in need of some items for my visit here, would you be able to help me?"
"Sure."
She looks up from her work to greet me and I can see that she has reptilian eyes and instead of human ears they looked almost like tiny wings.
Nevermind.
"Hi I'm Murva. What could I get for you?"
"Well first off, An English to, whatever the local language is, dictionary, or a translator if that is possible? I believe it's ‘Common' but I could be misled."
"Sure, let me look."
She roots around in the lower part of the stall for something before coming up empty handed.
"Sorry we don't have anything for English."
"What do you mean?"
"We don't have anything for that langage."
"...What are you speaking now?"
"...Common?"
The following silence swallowed the surrounding chaos of the plaza.
"Nevermind. Could I instead get some conversions into the local currency."
"Okay!"
I hand her the bills I brought with me and I am handed back rolls of coins.
"Aaand can you point me in the direction of Origa please."
"No Problem!"
—
Origa was much less busy than Marrow. Now that I wasn't fighting my way through crowds while trying to not be crushed by the larger creatures around me, I could see more of the new land around me. Just like before there were still dragons everywhere, including the massive ones flying overhead, some carrying riders strapped on their backs, and the tiny ones that scampered underfoot that I could easily trample if I wasn't careful. There were also other humanoids around and I think I've spotted a couple humans even, actually this time. Not nearly as much as at home but I guess I should not have assumed things would have been the exact same here. What was odd was the utter lack of spirits.
The town itself was charming in a tourist-y kinda way. Here and there were the iconography of the nearby mountain, Mount Panthea, up which was where the exorcism was taking place. You could spot the occasional tourist trying to haggle over a knickknack or posing for a painting. Otherwise it just looked like any other town.
I arrived a day early to give myself time to get a better image of what I was getting myself into. I already knew it was going to be quite the hike and that the closer up to the top the colder it got. What I did learn was that no one has been up there in so long that all the paths up had grown over. No matter, I'll just give myself more time to work through all the foliage tomorrow. Getting someone to talk to me about the terminal itself on the other hand was much harder.
"Oh hey look, another one."
"Who knew an empty building would be so popular all of a sudden."
"It's totally filled with snow and wild animals by now."
I was about to give up altogether when 3 dragon youngsters approached me.
"Are you ahsking abou the irminal?" Said the youngest looking one.
"Why… yes." I say
"I hewr it's hauwted."
"It's not haunted Ryeku. It just shut down. Something went wrong with one of the portals and Titan hasn't had the opportunity to fix it yet. Dad says once it is, it would bring back some much needed business." Says another one.
"Titan owns the terminal as well?"
"Yeah of course."
"I think it's a cover-up" says the oldest looking one "It's actually where Titan sends misbehaving employees now. Those aren't the wails of ghosts you're hearing, that's someone discovering the joys of the reeducation program."
"Jekamooo! Stop being scary!"
"Banyaaa! Stop being a baby!"
Adorable
"Sorry, did you… all want to talk to me about something?"
"Why?" said Ryeku.
"Excuse me?"
"We want to know why you're heading up there," said Banya.
"Well, apparently it's haunted" I say with a smirk.
"See I old you!" Ryeku gloats as he spins to face the others.
"But something sounds off. So it could be something else."
Jekamo cuts me a look like he knows I'm humoring them. A look I'm all too familiar with.
"Could you tell us when you get back? Mom wouldn't let us go up ourselves, it's too dangerous."
"I'll see what I can do."
They scamper off and I'm left feeling like I actually didn't learn anything useful.
They're children. What did you expect?
The sun was starting to go down now so I decided to call it a night and find an inn. I guess the only way I'll find out more is actually heading up there myself.
—
I find a lighter patch in the foliage, presumably this being where one of the old paths began.
Guess I'm also going to be carrying my luggage up the whole way. That's... fine.
I lift up my suitcase and start walking through the brush. It was a long journey through stomping through thick flora and ducking around branches and leaves.
Then I was pounced upon.
The "fight", if you could even call it that, was over quickly. I felt something swipe across my face and push me to the ground. Before it could make another attack I kicked… hard. It fell back and ran off as quickly as it arrived. I never saw what my adversary was but did see that despite at least an hour or so of travel the light of the town was still fairly visible. It was undeniable now that it would take too long and would be too dangerous to continue on my own.
I had to call someone.
After gingerly touching my face to confirm that it was in fact bleeding and that I nearly lost an eye as well, I walked back to town. It was still very early in the morning and thus only a few people were milling around. I originally came out so early to give myself plenty of time to finish the hike, but it just so happened to also be one of the best times to call.
I unclip my stand in from my wrist, I snap my fingers and it catches fire in my hand. Instead of burning to ash it is replaced with a much bigger book. The edge a deep maroon with a black cover studded with rubies, each side displaying a bleached white skull engulfed in flame. Post-it notes ingrained between the pages. Red, yellow, green, blue.
They were staring at me now, some of the people milling around. I was used to people staring when I practiced in public sometimes but here there wasn't any annoyance or judgement in any of their faces, that I could tell anyway. Here it just seemed like genuine curiosity. I would talk to them about it but unfortunately I am on a time crunch.
I reposition my hand on the book, the "Ones That Passed" as it was called, back to where I have held it many times before, turn through the pages till I find someone I think would be the most helpful. Green and blue post-its on the side. I sit on the stone road and take out a page torn from my journal, a pen, my lighter, and her related herbs and oils from the bag on my side. I lift the page to my wound. Might as well, right? Why prick my hand if I don't need to? I draw her symbol and add the aromatics and set it alight. The familiar coldness comes over me as her visage starts to manifest.
Someone screams.
People start to hurry away. For a moment I thought my previous assailant had come back but no. They were reacting to Ananya.
It's like they've never seen a ghost before.
"Is that Val? It's been a while since I've seen that adorable face. How are you?"
Before me stood Spirit Ananya, translucent white and in her wilderness outfit, her trusty staff behind her. I decide that the townspeople's reaction is not my problem and get off the ground.
"We missed you at The Feasting this year. The readings weren't the same without you."
"Well hopefully I'll get this all sorted very soon."
"Oh? How so?" she said curiously.
I point out the path I failed to navigate.
"Up this mountain is a haunting."
"Still going the Fulfilment route huh? Who's hosting it?"
"Yeah it's the…" If she noticed me intentionally muttering the end she didn't call attention to it. "I would love to continue this conversation but if you don't mind I'm losing light and would like to arrive on time. I… can't… get up the mountain on my own and… need your help."
She gives me a nod and lifts up her staff. She taps it down in the overgrown foliage. All the jutting out roots and tangles of vines slither back, the ground evens out, and the branches bend back to clear the way. Ananya starts walking into the woods and I follow. I take away the green post-it and change the book back to my charm. Behind us the plants and earth begin to move back into place. Before we got much of a way in she turns around and gestures to take my suitcase.
"Let me take that for you."
"No I got it."
"Val."
"It's just clothes in here. I can handle it fine thank you."
"Val." The soft warmth in her voice had been replaced with a pointed sternness. "If we are hiking up a mountain like you said we are, we're going to be here for hours. I don't want to leave you alone in the wild unconscious, especially because you just had to overexert yourself."
I reluctantly hand it to her because she's right, unfortunately. I have no idea how long this trip is going to be and holding a spirit is hard. Holding a spirit while also trying to keep a hold of a heavy bag is even harder. I'm trying not to die before I even get there. Instead, I take out my first aid kit and began taking care of my face as we continued on.
"So… what did Spirit Gena make this year?"
The warmth returns to her voice. "You would have loved it. So you know that show that Trent is always going on about? well…"
It continued like that for the next few hours, catching each other up I mean. The twins still want me back as their tutor (They both made honor roll by the way), the library I've been working at just got approved for an expansion, And Jordan had passed. Or Spirit Jordan I suppose. Plus all those other small little stories you collect when away from someone.
We eventually stop to rest in a safer clearing. The calling exhaustion was starting to get to me and I nearly missed what Ananya said.
"I hear that Spirit Mayson is looking for a new apprentice."
"I wish them luck. I think we are getting a new Burgeoning this fall."
"That would be nice but I have a different one in mind."
"..."
"..."
"No."
"Come on. Look at yourself. You're out in the middle of nowhere, by yourself, and you're already hurt. I mean who would host a haunting out here?"
"Well-" slips out of my mouth before I can stop myself.
"Who's hosting this?"
"..."
"Val."
"..."
"VAL."
"...no one. I think?"
"A true haunting!?"
"I won't be there by myself once I get there. This is my opportunity to become the great Guide everyone needs."
"We don't need some great Guide. We need you safe."
"Anything worth anything is going to have risks."
"And I'm saying it's not worth the risk. Come home Val. So many of us would be willing to mentor you. I'll do it. Maybe we can have you help with a true haunting after a few months."
"You all should keep that energy for someone that needs it."
"Name the six axioms."
"Uh- I know they basically boil down to respect The Veil and be a good person."
She cocks an eyebrow at me.
"It's not like it matters. I don't need to be memorizing useless platitudes in order to do the work."
"...Oh, what are we going to do with you? Call me back when you're ready to go."
She dissipates back into nothing and I feel my warmth return to me, mostly. We must be high enough for the temperature to have dropped. I take out my coat from my suitcase and put it on. Due to Ananya's help we made excellent progress and I fully took advantage of that in the break. Don't want to pass out in the wilderness now do we?
After I regained a fair bit of my strength I called her back. She was still pretty annoyed with me but still led me onward. The woods turned to a rocky path to snow. We kept trekking till we saw lights in the distance, a penetrating cyan next to a smaller orange light. Ananya suddenly stops in her tracks.
"...Is that where you're trying to go?"
"Yeah!"
"We should head back. Something is deeply wrong there."
"What?"
"I don't know."
"Spirit Ananya, are you… trying to scare me?"
"I just… feel it. If you insist on continuing just know you can call me at any time and I'll get you out as fast as possible."
"I- very well. I think I can make it the rest of the way from here. Thank you for your help. You're dismissed."
She gives me a worried look before dissipating and I make the rest of the journey.
—
I poke my head into the tent set up in front of the massive Bifrost Terminal. Inside was a… unique collection of different characters. Many didn't seem like the spiritual type but how would I know?
"Is this where the exorcism is?"
"Yes. Yes. Come in."
I walk in as one of the people stands, the same one that spoke before. He reaches out to presumably shake my hand.
"My name is Cain Salvatori."
I returned the gesture assuming I assumed right.
"Val Halmore."
"We'll start in an hour or two. Feel free to rest here till then. Must have been a perilous journey."
"Thank you."
I find one part of the tent with less people in it. I intended to only sit down for just a few moments but against my wishes I quickly fall unconscious.
—
"Hey. HEY. I need you to get up."
I wake up to a blue dragon shaking me. Behind him I see the tent is now mostly empty with a few people making their way out.
"Is it time?" I say groggily.
He nods and I also start my way out. Outside was a crowd gathered in front of the massive terminal doors. There were new faces in the crowd who must have come after I fell asleep. I walk closer and see that Cain is in front of the doors facing the crowd. He's telling everyone the same information that was in the pamphlet.
It's unlikely that everyone here took the effort to read it. Don't want to waste time trying methods already shown not to work.
Does he seem… Nervous?
After a few more moments to wait for any last stragglers, Cain turns around and pushes open the doors. The inside was massive, The light from outside illuminating dark marble floors with bright veining, framed with geometric golden lines reminiscent old art deco st-
CRASH
Once everyone was inside, the doors swung closed violently. Loud enough to knock me off kilter because for a split second I felt that anxiety that something important was just taken from me.
Now everyone stood in complete darkness except for the dim cyan blue from the still somehow running lights. Before anyone could really process what just happened a strong volley of freezing winds passed through the space. Like we were suddenly transported to the middle of a blizzard. All the while the air felt heavy like the dark itself was trying to crush me. I look up and in front of everyone was a figure ringed in wisps of similar cyan light. Two piercing lights like that of eyes blink into existence on the figure as it speaks.
"The powers that be finally deigned to do something about us, huh? I should've figured when that idiot-" A part of the lights whipping around the figure breaks away to point out Cain. He was getting buffed around by the winds like the rest of us but his face conveyed a knowing horror.
Maybe this is what he meant by how his methods made things worse.
"-came in here whimpering about being here to help. Let me guess, they told you to get rid of us by any means necessary? That they would pay a king's ransom for your service. Hmph, typical."
Was Cain not the first attempt? Or is that just the typical behavior of whoever is hiring him?
"Now you're trapped in here with me. I'll tell you now: in the Bifrost Terminal, I am creator, judge, and jury. Nothing happens without me knowing."
Okay. We're dealing with at least one spirit with an issue with ego. What were the teachings to handle that?
"You are all still in one piece because I decided you should be. So, explore the terminal, ask questions. You are all here for a job, aren't you? Well then, allow me to assign you your work task: figure out how to free the souls trapped in this godsforsaken facility."
Wait what? Figure out? Trapped? Why would a spirit be trapped?
"And as incentive, the first among you to succeed in freeing all of the spirits here shall be allowed to leave The Bifrost Terminal."
FIRST to free ALL?
"As for the rest of you… If you don't finish first? If you slack off or annoy me and your fellows instead of putting your nose to the grindstone? Well... I'll leave that to your imagination."
With one last burst of wind the figure disappears and all is calm again. Most people seem to be trying to recover and discuss what just happened. Some have surrounded Cain or are trying the doors. I think I see someone trying to fight the space where the figure once was.
What's going on here?
NEXT